Julia Creek

History

The name Julia Creek was named after the niece of Donald McIntyre (younger brother of explorer Duncan McIntyre), the first white settler in the area. McIntyre took up a property called Dalgonally about north of the present site of the town in 1864, only a few years after the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition passed through the area. The township began life as a temporary railway terminus in 1907 when the Great Northern railway line was extended from Richmond to service the copper mines at Cloncurry. The name Oorindi is the Aboriginal name for the Williams River (which is about west of Oorindi) and means stones. Julia Creek Post Office opened by September 1910 (a receiving office had been open from 1907). Julia Creek State School was a one-room school established in 1911 with nine students, and was expanded in 1932 and again in 1934. A separate high school was constructed in 1963. A sixteen-bed hospital was established in 1972. Julia Creek Public Library was opened in 1994. The Dirt n Dust Festival sporting and music festival was held in the town annually from 1995 to 2019 and was considered one of Queensland's largest events of its type. After cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced in July 2021 that due to a lack of volunteers, and there being no committee to run the event, the Dirt n Dust Festival would no longer be held. But in December 2021, an organising committee was formed and the 2022 festival was held on 22-24 April and continues to be held annually. In 2022, Julia Creek made headlines by its inability to attract a doctor for general practice work in the town for over 2 years, despite offering an annual salary of over $500,000 and providing a rent-free house. The position was filled in December 2022.

Geography

Julia Creek is a town in mid-northern Queensland, located on the Flinders Highway (Overlanders Way), the main road between Mount Isa and Townsville. It is west of Townsville, and is located 123 m above sea level. The town of Julia Creek is on the Great Northern Railway; the locality being served by a number of railway stations (from west to east): * Oorindi railway station () * Bookin railway station, now abandoned () * Quarrells railway station ()

Most-observed species

• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  74
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  54
• Crested Pigeon

  Ocyphaps lophotes (Temminck, 1822) · Aves
  48
• Willie-wagtail

  Rhipidura leucophrys (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  44
• Peaceful Dove

  Geopelia placida Gould, 1844 · Aves
  43
• Artamus leucorhynchos

  Artamus leucorhynchos · Aves
  28
• White-plumed Honeyeater

  Ptilotula penicillata (Gould, 1837) · Aves
  28
• Australian Kite

  Elanus axillaris (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  27